Insurance?

[darienshulman]

Have any VSL users in the United States been successful with getting their VSL licenses insured against loss or theft?  I just recently purchased the Special Edition bundle and Dimension Strings, and the idea that I'd have to repurchase the whole thing if my key is lost or stolen makes me very nervous.  So far, I've been unsuccessful in finding an American insurance company willing to cover me.  Has anyone else had better luck?

[Dstorfer]

 

You may be asking the wrong questions.  First, if you have homeowners insurance you should be able to get it added to that policy; if you rent, get renters insurance.   Otherwise, if you are using several thousand dollars worth of hardware and software for any kind of business purpose then you may want to consider some kind of self-employment or small business insurance.  When my dad was a gigging musician, he surely had a policy out on his B3, Rhodes, Moog, 2 Arps and all the amps and speakers and stuff.   See if framing it the right way makes a difference. Or you just get a larger blanket policy for like $20,000 to cover your general business needs, you may want even more in liability if you are doing business stuff to protect you in case a project goes bad and someone tries to come after you.  Like if you're a film composer and you screw up a contract and the producer blames you for losses because the film didn't release on time.  Even if there's no case, I wonder if business liability insurance would cover court costs?

[mschmitt]

Also, when you purchase insurance make sure you get a FULL REPLACEMENT VALUE policy. What that means is you insure your property for the retail value of your items and if they are destroyed the insurance company pays you the value you had them insured at.

If you don't have this kind of policy, they will pay you a depreciated amount for your destroyed items, which can be considerably less then what it will cost to buy replacements.

[paulhenrysmith]

I use Clarion Insurance.  They insure musical instruments.  My digital orchestra is a musical instrument ... I take it to gigs and perform live with VSL.  They cover hardware and software.  They cover loss, breakage, theft, etc.  Very good company, in my experience.  My iMac, Mac Pro, audio interface, speakers, cables, etc., etc. are all insured for replacement value at around $180 per year.

http://www.clarionins.com

My un-sought advice is to keep every installer separate, and ask VSL what their policy is on lost license keys.

Good luck, and good music!

- Paul

[Cyril Blanc]

@paulhenrysmith said:

  They insure musical instruments.  My digital orchestra is a musical instrument 

Your Digital orchestra is not a musical instrument as it is imaterial, I have not found yet an insurance in Europe that insure IMATERIAL things

Software is also imaterial, you should keep a copy elsewere as insurance will not cover it 😉

To judge an insurance you have to have a disaster to see how they re-embourse 

[paulhenrysmith]

I guess Europe is different in this way, too, then, Cyril.

1. Original poster asked about U.S.

2. Whatever humans use to play music is a musical instrument  

3. I have musical instrument insurance on my digital orchestra (covers outside the home, too)

4. They reimbursed for a top of the line Mac Pro back in 2008 after a theft.

I didn't claim a loss of software and samples, because I had the install disks and either the Vienna Keys, or they hadn't started using them at that time.

- Paul

[Cyril Blanc]

Hi Paul,

The license number on your dongle is unique, you cannot back it up on another dongle neither you can use it twice.

VSL will ask you to pay an amount per license number, from what I have understand VSL have to pay to Steinberg a fee per license number.

The legality of this has been discus many time in other thread.

> 1. Original poster asked about U.S.

I have read this, this is why I specify "Europe" ; from what I have heard there is no big differences between US and European insurances ! with banks they are both "des grands voleurs" ; do you say  "large robbers"  in English ???? ;) LOL

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> 2. Whatever humans use to play music is a musical instrument  

On the insurance side the answer is no, the insurances I have found so far will only re-embourse the dongle so only 50 euro, not the amount of Euro that VSL ask for you to pay to have another license number. The refund material not imaterial

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> 3. I have musical instrument insurance on my digital orchestra (covers outside the home, too)

you better double check this is writen in clear in the insurances policy

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> 4. They reimbursed for a top of the line Mac Pro back in 2008 after a theft.

this is normal, this is material

I am also interested to find an insurance, I have contact a few in France, and even in England and the answer is the same, "we insure material not imaterial" ; VSL licence number is IMATERIAL

[Dstorfer]

Here is a website specifically designed to advise artist-oriented businesses to get insurance:

http://www.studioprotector.org/OnlineGuide/Safeguarding/GettingtheRightInsuranceCoverage/BusinessInsurance.aspx

Music Pro Insurance was listed on this site:

https://www.musicproinsurance.com/

They specifically say "$5,000 in computer hardware and software, additional coverage can be added"